Method and Apparatus for Providing Power Management in Data Communication Systems

ABSTRACT

A blood glucose meter having a compact housing, a display unit disposed on the housing, the display unit including a display light source to illuminate the display unit, an input unit disposed on the housing, the input unit configured to provide input functions for the blood glucose meter, and a power source provided within the housing for providing power to the blood glucose meter, where the housing includes a port integrated on said housing configured to receive a blood glucose test strip, and corresponding methods of measuring blood glucose meter is provided.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/861,626 filed Jun. 4, 2004, which claimspriority under 35 USC §119 to Provisional Application No. 60/478,436filed Jun. 12, 2003, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Providing PowerManagement in Data Communication Systems”, the disclosures of each ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to data monitoring systems. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to portable analytemonitoring systems. More specifically, the present invention relates toa compact, blood glucose meter for use in a glucose monitoring system toself-monitor glucose level in whole blood, as an aid to diseasemanagement, and also by healthcare professionals as an aid to monitorthe effectiveness of diabetes treatment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The market for glucose monitoring systems in the United States as wellas globally is rapidly increasing, as better health education and earlydetection of diabetic conditions through regular check ups haveincreased the percentage of the diabetic population who undertake thetask of monitoring their diet and daily activities based on the detectedlevel of blood glucose using glucose monitoring systems. One group ofsuch rapidly increasing segment of the population is children withdiabetic conditions who are advised to monitor their blood glucoselevels.

While miniaturization has been a factor of recent designs in the glucosemonitoring systems and the glucose meters, the physical constraints ofthe components of such systems have established a certain sizelimitation. As such, the larger and bulkier the device, the lessdesirable and convenient for the device to be carried around or used andoperated by the patients, especially children.

In view of the foregoing, in accordance with the various embodiments ofthe present invention, there is provided a blood glucose meter which isdesigned to be substantially more compact than presently availablecommercial blood glucose meters, which configuration that is much moreamenable to usage and portage by younger diabetic patients such aschildren.

More specifically, in one aspect of the invention, the blood glucosemeter is configured to include a LCD backlight and a flashlight featureswhich will assist the patient in reading the metered glucose level inlow-light testing areas such as in theaters, low ambient lightrestaurants, areas, outdoors during non-daylight times and so on, aswell as a light source to guide the insertion and removal of the teststrip, which may include the usage of a light emitting diode. Indeed, asthe light source (e.g., the LED) may be pulsed and still displaysubstantially the same light output as one which is turned on in steadystate, the battery life of the glucose meter device may be prolongedsince the pulsed LED light source requires significantly less power (andthus draining the battery at a much slower rate) than when the LED lightsource is maintained at the on position. Indeed, in one embodiment, thecentral processing unit of the glucose meter device may be configured tocontrol the switching on and off of the light source as well as thelevel of light intensity by, for example, adjusting the duty cycle andthe period during which the light source is configured to be turned on.

Additionally, in accordance with a further aspect of the invention, theblood glucose meter may include a numerically displayed clock with adate display which may be visible when the meter is not in use.Moreover, the clock feature in yet a further embodiment of the presentinvention may include an alarm which would allow the users to set alarmreminder for performing blood glucose level testing, where the alarmfeature may include one or a combination of an auditory alarm, a visualalarm alert, and a vibration alert mode.

Indeed, a blood glucose meter in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention includes a compact housing for a blood glucose meter,a display unit disposed on the housing, the display unit configured todisplay information related to the blood glucose meter, an input unitdisposed on the housing, the input unit configured to provide inputfunctions for the blood glucose meter, and a power source providedwithin the housing for providing power to the blood glucose meter.

The display unit may include one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), atouch sensitive screen, and a plasma display unit.

The display unit may also include a light source to illuminate thedisplay unit, where the light source may be configured to provide abacklight function and a flashlight function of the display unit.

The light source in one embodiment may be configured to be pulsed at afrequency greater than 60-100 Hertz. Moreover, the light source mayfurther configured to have a peak wavelength of approximately 570nanometers.

In one embodiment, the light source may include a light emitting diode(LED), and more specifically, a yellow-green LED.

In a further embodiment, the housing may include a port integrated onthe housing configured to receive a blood glucose test strip.

The port may include a light source that may be configured tosubstantially illuminate the port to assist in the insertion and/orremoval of the blood glucose test strip.

In yet another embodiment, the display unit may be configured toilluminate upon detection of a blood glucose test strip insertion intothe port. Further, the display unit may be configured to remainilluminated until the test strip is removed from the port.

The input unit in one embodiment may include an on/off switch.

A blood glucose meter in accordance with another embodiment includes acompact housing for a blood glucose meter, a display unit disposed onthe housing, the display unit including a display light source toilluminate the display unit, an input unit disposed on the housing, theinput unit configured to provide input functions for the blood glucosemeter, and a power source provided within the housing for providingpower to the blood glucose meter, where the housing includes a portintegrated on said housing configured to receive a blood glucose teststrip.

The port in one embodiment may include a port light source, the portlight source configured to substantially illuminate the port to assistin the insertion and/or removal of the blood glucose test strip.

Additionally, in an alternate embodiment, the port light source may beintegrated with the display light source.

A method of measuring blood glucose level in accordance with yet anotherembodiment of the present invention includes the steps of providing acompact housing, disposing a display unit on the housing, the displayunit including a display light source to illuminate the display unit,disposing an input unit on the housing, the input unit configured toprovide input functions for the blood glucose meter, providing a powersource within the housing for providing power to the blood glucosemeter, where the housing includes a port integrated on said housingconfigured to receive a blood glucose test strip.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will beunderstood upon consideration of the following detailed description ofthe invention and the accompanying drawings.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Applicants herein incorporate by reference U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,819issued Sep. 9, 2003 entitled “Small Volume In Vitro Analyte Sensor andMethods”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,471 issued on May 6, 2003 entitled“Analyte Monitoring Device and Methods of Use”, and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/437,374 filed Dec. 31, 2002 and U.S. PublishedApplication No. 2004/0186365 published Sep. 23, 2004 both entitled“Continuous Glucose Monitoring System and Methods of Use”, each assignedto the Assignee of the present application for all purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall glucose monitoringsystem in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a glucose meter device shown inFIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the glucose meter device of FIG. 2 in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the display screen of the glucose meterdevice in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for performing a bloodglucose test using the glucose meter device in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates the output LED power level as a function of the powerstate in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall glucose monitoringsystem in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.Referring to the Figure, the glucose monitoring system 100 in accordancewith one embodiment includes a glucose meter device 103 configured toreceive a test strip 102 which is used to collect the blood sample fordetermining the blood glucose level of the user 101. The lancing device104 is used to draw the blood sample from the user 101 to be collectedonto the test strip 102. In one embodiment, the lancing device 104 maybe used on the user's fingers, forearm, upper arm, hand, thigh or calf,for example. Moreover, the glucose meter device 103 and the system 100is configured such that a very small blood sample size such as, forexample, approximately 0.3 microliter of sample blood, is necessary todetermine a corresponding blood glucose level.

As can be further seen from FIG. 1, the glucose meter device 103 may beoperatively coupled to an external computer 105 which may include, inone embodiment, a server terminal connected to a data network, a standalong desktop or laptop computer for use by the user's physician or careprovider (or the user herself), a personal digital assistant (PDA) whichis operatively configured to store and/or further, to communicate with adata network to transmit and receive patient data related to the glucoselevel detected from the collected blood sample, for further diagnosis,analysis and the like.

In one embodiment, the user 101 may provide the configuration parametersas well as calibration code to the glucose meter device 103, while theglucose meter device 103 may be configured to output signal prompts tothe user 101 such as to indicate a sample fill signal and a sampleresult signal, and further, to output display the resulting measuredblood glucose level from the sampled blood from the user 101.Furthermore, after the user 101 is lanced with the lancing device 104 togenerate sufficient amount of sample blood, the test strip 102 isprovided in contact thereto (i.e., to the sample blood) while the teststrip 102 is operatively coupled to the glucose meter device 103. Inthis manner, the glucose meter device 103 may in one embodiment beconfigured to alert the user that the amount of blood sample on the teststrip 102 is sufficient to determine the corresponding blood glucoselevel.

In one aspect of the present invention, the glucose meter device 103 maybe configured to make clinical measurements of glucose in whole blood inthe range for approximately 20 to 500 mg/dL. Furthermore, as discussedin further detail below, the glucose meter device 103 may be configuredto include a display unit which is configured to operate as a userinterface to visually interact with the user 101 to prompt for datainput, or alternatively, to provide information to the user 101corresponding to the user's operation of one or more functions of theglucose meter device 103. In one embodiment, the display unit of theglucose meter device 103 may include a LCD display screen which mayfurther be configured, in an alternate embodiment to include atouch-sensitive pad so as to allow the user 101 to input datatherethrough. Moreover, in a further embodiment of the presentinvention, the display unit of the glucose meter device 103 may beconfigured to include a backlight feature which would permit the user101 to operate the glucose meter device 103 in a dark ambient settingsuch as in a theater, outdoor at night, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a glucose meter device shown inFIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 2, the glucose meter device 103 in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention includes a central processing unit206 operatively coupled to a digital data processing unit 204. Thecentral processing unit 206 is further operatively coupled to a storageunit 207 which, in one embodiment, may include one or more of a datastorage unit, a random access memory unit and a read-only memory unit.As can be further seen from the Figure, the digital data processing unit204 is further operatively coupled to an input/output (I/O) interfaceunit 205 which, in one embodiment, is configured to interface with theexternal computer 105 (FIG. 1).

Moreover, in the glucose meter device 103, there is provided an analogdata processing unit 201 which is configured to detect and processanalog signals and which is further operatively coupled to the digitaldata processing unit 204 for digital data processing of the detected andprocessed analog signals received from the analog data processing unit201 in one embodiment of the present invention. Referring back to FIG.2, the analog data processing unit 201 of the glucose meter device 103is further configured to operatively couple to a test strip connectorunit 202 which is configured to engage with a test strip 102 (FIG. 1)when inserted into the glucose meter device 103. Thereafter, the analogdata processing unit 201 as mentioned above is configured to detect thesignal level from the collected blood sample received from the teststrip 102 (FIG. 1) via the test strip connector unit 202, and totransmit that detected and analog processed data to the digital dataprocessing unit 204 for further data processing.

Referring yet again to FIG. 2, there is also shown a user interface unit203 provided to the glucose meter device 103. As can be seen, the userinterface unit 203 is operatively coupled to the user 101 (FIG. 1) toreceive input data or instructions therefrom, or alternatively, tooutput the processed and/or generated information to the user 101. Morespecifically, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention, the user interface unit 203 may include a display unit, aninput device such as an input keypad, or any other equivalent devicewhich may provide substantially the same functionality as the inputdevice such as an input keypad.

Additionally, the display unit of the user interface unit 203 mayinclude an LCD display unit which is also capable of providingbacklighting so as to permit the user to view the displayed informationon the backlit display unit of the user interface unit 203 in darkambient settings. Moreover, in an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention, the user interface unit 203 may also include a flashlightfeature which, upon activation by the user, is configured to emit aconsistent light beam to assist the user in the operation of the glucosemeter device 103 and/or the lancing device 104 in dark surroundings.Further, the flashlight feature may also be configured to include atimer function such that the flashlight is configured, in oneembodiment, to automatically turn off after a predetermined period oftime has elapsed. In this manner, the power source for the glucose meterdevice 103 (FIG. 1) may be conserved in the cases where the user 101leaves the flashlight feature on the glucose meter device 103 on.

Referring yet again to FIG. 2, the user interface unit 203 in accordancewith a further embodiment of the present invention may include a speakerunit configured to output audio signals. More specifically, in oneaspect of the present invention, the user 101 may be alerted or remindedof one or more time specific events or reminder such as the next timethe user 101 needs to take a blood glucose level measurement. Ratherthan relying solely upon the user's memory, the glucose meter device 103may be configured with an alarm feature operatively engaged with a timerfunction such that, in addition to displaying the current timeinformation on the display unit, the glucose meter device 103 may beconfigured to generate and output an audible sound for each specificevent or reminder which the user 101 has pre-programmed into the glucosemeter device 103. Moreover, in a further embodiment, the audible alarmoutput (or a series of audible tones as may be selected by the user) maybe simultaneously generated with the backlight feature of the glucosemeter device 103 such that for each of use, the user is able to viewinformation displayed on the display unit of the user interface unit 203substantially immediately without the need to perform extra steps suchas turning on the backlight function of the glucose meter device 103. Inthe preferred embodiment, the meter allows the user to set up to fourseparate alarms to go off every 24 hours at a particular time to remindthe user to test her blood glucose level. Preferably, the volume of eachalarm may be set independently.

Referring back yet again to FIG. 2, in one embodiment of the presentinvention, the central processing unit 206 is configured to perform aplurality of functions to maintain, calibrate and operate the glucosemeter device 103. More specifically, upon power up of the glucose meterdevice 103 when the power source such as the batteries, are placed inthe respective section of the device housing, under the control of thecentral processing unit 206, the glucose meter device 103 is configuredto perform a power on/reset sequence to initialize the variousaforementioned components of the glucose meter device 103 to thenecessary configuration settings. Upon successful completion of thepower on/reset sequence, the central processing unit 206 is thenconfigured to enter the glucose meter device 103 into a defaultoperation mode (for example, the clock mode) as discussed in furtherdetail below. More specifically, in one embodiment, the centralprocessing unit 206 is configured to access the storage unit 207 toretrieve the corresponding power on/reset sequence instruction set fromthe storage unit 207 (for example, in the ROM portion and/or the RAMportion thereof). Moreover, in one embodiment, the central processingunit 206 is configured to perform and complete the aforementioned poweron/reset sequence within approximately 500 mseconds.

In one aspect, the central processing unit 206 of the glucose meterdevice 103 may be configured for operating the meter device 103 in oneof the following modes of operation—the clock mode (the default modediscussed above), the test mode, the configuration mode, and themeasurement log review mode. The default clock mode is configured in oneembodiment to display the time/date information as configured by theuser 101. The test mode includes operations for the user to performblood glucose measurements, the configuration mode includes functionsfor the user to select user preferences for configurable parameters ofthe glucose meter device 103, and the measurement log review mode allowsreviewing of the glucose measurements stored in the meter device 103.

In one embodiment, when the glucose meter device 103 enters a non-clockmode of operation, the meter device 103 may be configured to display aself-test screen that illuminates all segments of the display unit inthe user interface unit 203 prior to operating in the selected mode ofoperation. Moreover, the glucose meter device 103 may be configured toexit all operation modes after exceeding a predetermined period ofnon-activity/idle time (for example, 2 minutes) such as no switchactivity, test strip activity, or display activity, for example.

Additionally, the central processing unit 206 of the glucose meterdevice 103 is configured such that, upon detection that there was a lossof power (for example, battery removal), the internal date is set to thelast recorded date, and in the case where there is no valid recordeddates, the central processing unit 206 is configured to set the internaldate to a predetermined date such as Jan. 1, 2002, for example.Likewise, upon detection of the loss of power, the internal time in oneembodiment is reset to 12:00 am until a further time when the userresets the internal time. Moreover, the blood sample test data collectedduring the period of power loss is configured to be flagged with a “losttime” flag and the corresponding lost power internal date and timediscussed above. Upon re-application of power to the glucose meterdevice 103, in one embodiment, the user may be prompted (e.g., blinkingsignals displayed on the user interface unit 203) to reset the time anddate information in the default clock mode.

Referring still again to FIG. 2, in the test mode of operation of theglucose meter device 103 in one embodiment, the correct insertion of thetest strip 102 (FIG. 1) engaged into the test strip connector unit 202of the meter device 103 is detected, and upon removal of the test strip102, the meter device 103 is configured to enter the default operationmode. In this manner, the glucose meter device 103 may be configured toautomatically enter into the test mode of operation upon the correctinsertion of the test strip 102. Alternatively, the glucose meter device103 may be configurable to enable manual initiation of the test mode ofoperation (such as, for example, by the user's manual operation of thetest mode switch (not shown) of the meter device 103.

During the test mode of operation, if a faulty operation is detected,the glucose meter device 103 is configured to generate and output acorresponding respective message as such. Examples of such faultyoperation includes, but not limited to, the detection of a used teststrip, insufficient blood sample on the test strip, incorrect insertionof the test strip into the test strip connector unit 202 of the meterdevice 103, or when the coulometer circuits are not ready for sampleprocessing. The outputted message to the user alerting of the faultyoperation may include an audible sound, a visual display, or acombination of both.

Upon successfully collecting sufficient blood sample for processing fromthe user 101 (FIG. 1), the glucose meter device 103 is configured toprocess the collected sample, and to generate a corresponding bloodglucose data for output display to the user 101 on the user interfaceunit 203. The blood glucose data may be, for example, displayed in unitsof mg/dL or in units of mmol. Moreover, in one embodiment, the meterdevice 103 may also be configured to display the time and dateinformation corresponding to the blood glucose level test. Moreover, thecentral processing unit 206 is further configured to store the processedand displayed blood glucose data in the storage unit 207.

Referring still to FIG. 2, in the configuration mode of operation, inone embodiment of the present invention, the user 101 may select andinput certain predetermined parameters into the glucose meter device 103to configure the meter device 103 for subsequent use thereafter. Forexample, such configurable parameters include the displayed date andtime information, the alarm settings on the glucose meter device 103,the preferred display format for data display on the display unit of theuser interface unit 203 in the meter device 103, the concentration unitof the generated glucose level, and an average glucose level informationbased on a user selected number of days such as 14-day or 30 day averageof stored results.

In the measurement log review mode of operation discussed above, theglucose meter device 103 is configured to display a glucose summary(that is, the average glucose level information) of stored results, aswell as other parameters such as the number of measurements incorporatedinto the displayed average level, and a visual indication to the userthat the displayed data is the average glucose level information, andnot a specific sampled glucose level data. As will be discussed infurther detail below, the glucose meter device 103 may be configured toenter the measurement log review mode of operation upon the operation ofthe mode switch (in the user interface unit 203) while the meter device103 is in the default clock mode.

In one embodiment, the glucose meter device 103 may be configured sothat a “LO” is displayed for measured glucose values which are below 20mg/dL, and in contrast, a “HI” is displayed when the measured glucosevalue exceeds 500 mg/dL. Furthermore, the meter device 103 may beconfigured to display the processed glucose level within approximately15 seconds from the sampling of the corresponding blood for samplesbelow 200 mg/dL when measured at room temperature and humidity.

FIG. 3 illustrates the glucose meter device of FIG. 2 in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the glucose meterdevice 103 includes a housing 307 which substantially encases the meterdevice 103. In one embodiment, the glucose meter device 103 may bephysically configured such that it is 3.12 inches in length, 2.25 inchesin width and 0.85 inches in height, with no more that 1.4 ounces inweight with the batteries installed. Moreover, the material used for thehousing 307 may comprise plastic, metal, polymer, or a combination ofany suitable material which provides substantial physical integrity whensubject to normal usage of the meter device 103 including occasionaldropping and other physical impacts.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is a data port 301 which corresponds to the I/Ointerface unit 205 (FIG. 2), and is configured to operatively couple toan external computer or data processing device to transfer datacollected and processed by the glucose meter device 103. The data port301 in one embodiment may include one of a Universal Serial Bus (USB)port, an infrared data communication port, a Bluetooth communicationport, and a Wi-Fi wireless data communication port (for example, IEEE802.11 or its equivalents).

Referring back to FIG. 3, provided on the housing 307 is a displayscreen 302 which may be configured to display the test results and otherparameters and information such as time and data information and thelike. The display screen 302 in one embodiment may include a built-indisplay backlight for use in low-light conditions, and may be configuredto automatically switch on in low-light settings for a predeterminedperiod of time (such as 1 minute, for example), or may be configured formanual user operation.

Also shown in FIG. 3 are three input switches—a mode switch 303, theconfiguration switch 304, and the light switch 305. In one embodiment,the mode switch 303 may be operated by the user to toggle betweendifferent operation modes such as the test mode, and the clock mode(default), configuration mode, and the measurement log review mode, eachdiscussed above. The configuration switch 304 may be configured to, forexample, mark a test result as control solution, change the test stripcode, time and alarm settings, the output sound options, dateinformation, the measurement unit information, and for review of thestored sample results. Also, the configuration switch 304 may also bedepressed to silence the output of an alarm. Finally, the light switch305 is configured to control the operation of the backlight of thedisplay screen 302, as well as the flashlight function of the meterdevice 103.

Referring yet again to FIG. 3, a test strip port 306 is additionallyprovided on the housing 307 of the glucose meter device 103, and isconfigured to receive the insertion of a test strip 308. In oneembodiment, the test strip port 306 substantially corresponds to thetest strip connector unit 202 shown in FIG. 2. Also provided on the teststrip port 306 is a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED)and the like which is configured to switch on and off under theoperation of, for example, the light switch 305, or alternatively, inaccordance with a certain operations of the glucose meter device 103such as, for example, the detection of the test strip 308 at the openingof the test strip port 306. As can be further seen, the test strip 308may include a top portion 309 and a bottom portion 310 such that the topportion 309 is configured to be inserted into the test strip port 306 ofthe glucose meter device 103, while the bottom portion 310 of the teststrip 308 substantially comprises the blood sample target areas for theuser to apply the blood sample or a control solution thereto. In oneembodiment, the test strip 308 is a Freestyle® Test Strip currentlyavailable from the assignee of the present application, Abbott DiabetesCare Inc. of Alameda, Calif.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the display screen of the glucose meterdevice in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.Referring to the Figures, the display screen 302 of the glucose meterdevice shown in FIG. 3 includes a plurality of visual representation ofdisplay information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the check owner'smanual symbol 401 is displayed to alert the user 101 (FIG. 1) to referto the manual of the glucose meter device, and may be displayed on thedisplay screen 302 when, for example, the meter device detects LO or HIblood glucose level, out of temperature range results, and low powerstate. The control solution test result symbol 302 is displayed to alertthe user that the user has marked a test result as a control solutiontest.

Referring back to FIG. 4A, the message area 403 of the display screen302 may be configured to display information such as the dateinformation, the time information, the number of tests performed, andother information related to the operation and function of the glucosemeter device. There is also provided in the display screen 302 a testresult area 406 which is configured to display the resulting glucoselevel determined from the corresponding blood sample. Also shown in FIG.4A are a battery symbol 405 and a memory mode symbol 404, where thebattery symbol 405 is configured to be illuminated when the power supplylevel (e.g., the battery level) is detected to be lower than the optimumoperating level, and to alert the user 101 (FIG. 1) to replace the same.The memory mode symbol 404 on the other hand, is configured to displayto the user 101 (FIG. 1) that the test result displayed in the restresult area 406 has been stored in the memory (the storage unit 207(FIG. 2)) of the glucose meter device. In one embodiment, the memorycapacity of the meter device may store up to approximately 250 bloodglucose test results.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, the display screen 302 may further beconfigured to display a blood drop symbol and a test strip symbol 414,which are configured to operate in tandem to alert the user that themeter device is ready to apply the blood sample or the control solution.Moreover, the unit symbol 413 is configured to appear with the testresult data displayed in the test result area 406 of the display screen302 when the blood sample has been successfully collected and acorresponding glucose level has been determined based on the collectedblood sample. The date setup symbol 407 on the display screen 302 may bedisplayed in the configuration mode when the user is setting the dateinformation of the glucose meter device.

As further shown, a check and set test strip code symbol 408 is providedon the display screen 302 to alert the user to check and set the teststrip code, while the thermometer symbol 409 is displayed on the displayscreen 302 when the meter is operating in a temperature range that isbeyond that which will permit an accurate reading. A set of sound levelsymbols 410 are provided in one embodiment to indicate whether theglucose meter device audible output alert mode is at a predeterminedsetting (for example, high, low or off), while the time set symbol 411appears on the display screen 302 in the default clock mode when theuser is setting the time information on the glucose meter device.Finally, the data average symbol 412 is configured to appear on thedisplay screen 302 with a glucose reading that is the average value ofthe readings from the past 14 days, for example or any otherpredetermined time period as may be established by the meter device as adefault mode or by the user during calibration stage of the glucosemeter device.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the meter 103is not otherwise in use, the current date is continuously displayed onthe upper line (top row of five 7-segment digits) of message area 403,and the current time is continuously displayed on the lower line (bottomrow of five 7-segment digits) of message area 403. As previouslymentioned, immediately after a blood glucose test is completed, thenumerical result is shown in the test result area 406. In this preferredembodiment, the date and time information are displayed in a differentarea of display screen 302 from the glucose test results, and withdifferent sized digits (preferably smaller as shown). Also, it ispreferable that the test result area 406 be offset from the center ofdisplay screen 302, even more preferably located in a corner of thedisplay screen 302 as shown.

In the manner described above, the display screen 302 of the glucosemeter device in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventionmay be configured to display information corresponding to the glucosetests and the processed results in a easy and intuitive manner.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for performing a bloodglucose test using the glucose meter device in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, at step501, the glucose meter device detects the insertion of a test strip 102in the test strip connector unit 202 (FIG. 2). In response to thedetection of the test strip 102 insertion, the meter device 103 ispowered on, and at step 502, the inserted test strip is verified and aself test of the meter device is performed. More specifically, at step502, a system check illumination briefly lights up the entire displayscreen 302 and the various data symbols and areas included therein, andthereafter, in step 503 the user 101 is prompted to input a code numberwhich corresponds to the calibration code number preassigned to the teststrip inserted into the meter device.

After verifying the code number for the test strip, at step 504, theblood drop and test strip symbols 414 (FIG. 4B) are displayed on thedisplay screen 302 to prompt the user to apply the blood sample to thetest strip. When the blood sample is in contact with the test strip, thetest strip acts like a sponge and pulls the blood into the strip throughits edges. Thereafter at step 505, it is determined whether thecollected blood sample amount is sufficient to generate a correspondingblood glucose level. If it is determined at step 505 that the collectedblood sample amount is not sufficient to generate the correspondingblood glucose level, then the procedure returns to step 504 to promptthe user to further apply the blood sample to the test strip.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step 505 that the collectedlevel of blood sample is sufficient to generate the corresponding bloodglucose level, the user 101 (FIG. 1) is notified as such in step 506 byan audible alert sound output via the user interface 203 (e.g., throughan output speaker), and/or by visual display on the display screen 302(FIG. 3). The glucose meter device is then configured at step 507 todetermine the glucose value corresponding to the detected blood sample,and thereafter at step 508, to display the resulting glucose value onthe display screen 302 (FIG. 3), and to store the generated glucosevalue in the storage unit 207 (FIG. 2).

In one embodiment, the glucose meter device may be configured to outputa single audible alert notification when the collected blood sample issufficient to generate the corresponding glucose level information, andto output a double audible alert notification when the glucose levelinformation has been determined and displayed on display screen 302.Additionally, in one embodiment, the time and date information may alsobe displayed on the display screen 302 in connection with the generatedglucose level information.

In accordance with another embodiment, the glucose meter device may beconfigured such that upon power on procedure, the light source (e.g., anLED) at the test strip port 306 (FIG. 3) is configured to illuminate atsubstantially 50% of the full intensity to permit the introduction ofthe test strip 102 into the test strip port 306. Thereafter, when thetest strip 102 is fully inserted into the test strip port 306 of theglucose meter device, the light source at the test strip port 306, andalternatively, in addition to the backlight of the display screen 302,is illuminated at the full intensity level to indicate blood samplecollection operation.

When the collection of the blood sample is concluded, the intensity ofthe light source at the test strip port 306 (and alternatively, as wellas the backlight of the display screen 302) are reduced substantially tothe 50% level again, and when the test strip is removed from the teststrip port 306, the light source is configured to shut off completely.Indeed, as the light source (e.g., the LED) may be pulsed and stilldisplay substantially the same light output as one which is turned on insteady state, the battery life of the glucose meter device may beprolonged since the pulsed LED light source requires significantly lesspower (and thus draining the battery at a much slower rate) than whenthe LED light source is maintained at the on position. Indeed, in oneembodiment, the central processing unit 206 of the glucose meter device103 may be configured to control the switching on and off of the lightsource as well as the level of light intensity by, for example,adjusting the duty cycle and the period during which the light source isconfigured to be turned on. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates the outputLED power level as a function of the power state in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. As can be seen from the Figure, 50%duty cycle as shown on the X-axis corresponds to approximately 80% ofthe output power level for the LED light source.

In a preferred embodiment, a yellow/green LED is used for the test striplight, such as part number LT19209-40 manufactured by LedtechElectronics Corporation located in Hsin-Tien, Taiwan, or part numberZSG56W manufactured by SunLED Co. located in Kowloon, Hong Kong. TheseLEDs provide a light having a peak wavelength of about 575 nanometers,which has been found to provide optimal contrast between various colorsof blood against various skin pigments in low light conditions. Morespecifically, using a yellow-green LED with peak wavelength of 570nanometers in one embodiment provided optional contrast between thevarious colors of blood against the skin pigments in low lightconditions.

Also, preferably, the test light LED is pulsed faster than 60-100 hertzso that it appears to the human eye that it is continuously on withoutflickering, most preferably 3 or 7 khz. It has been discovered that a10% duty cycle with the LEDs specified above provides the most desiredbalance between light intensity and battery power savings. A brighterlight output than this can be disruptive in certain low light settings,such as a movie theater, and can inhibit inconspicuous blood glucosetesting.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the glucose meterdevice may be configured such that the backlight on the display screen302 is turned on when the test strip 102 is inserted into the test stripport 306 of the meter device. Thereafter, the backlight is configured toturn off when the blood drop and test strip symbols 414 are displayed intandem to alert the user that the meter device is ready to apply theblood sample or the control solution. At the same time that thebacklight is turned off, the light source at the test strip port 306(e.g., the LED light source) is illuminated so that the user may lightup the test strip 102 and the sample acquisition site on the user 101 ifdesired. Thereafter, when the meter device detects a sufficient level ofblood sample on the test strip 102 (i.e., step 505 (FIG. 5) issuccessfully performed), the light source at the test strip port 306 isdisabled, and the backlight on the display screen 302 is once againilluminated so that the user may view the corresponding glucose levelgenerated from the collected blood sample.

In a slightly different embodiment, pressing the light button 305 powerson either the display backlight or the test strip light, depending onwhat mode the meter is in. Pressing the light button 305 in non-testmodes powers on the display backlight. The display backlight goes outwhen light button 305 is pressed again, or when the meter is inactivefor 5 seconds. Pressing the light button when the blood drop and teststrip symbols appear on the display screen powers on the test striplight. The test strip light goes out when the light button 305 ispressed again, or the meter receives the correct amount of blood for thetest (i.e. the test strip is filled), or after 60 seconds of meterinactivity, or when the test strip is removed from the meter. Thus, inthis embodiment, the test strip light cannot be activated unless thereis a test strip inserted in the test strip port. If either the teststrip light or the display backlight is used during the test mode, thebacklight preferably powers on to show the test results after themeasurement is complete.

Preferably, the glucose meter is powered by two coin cell batteries of acommon size, such as CR2032. It is also preferable that one of thebatteries is dedicated to powering the test strip light and displaybacklight, and the other is dedicated to powering the meter's processorand other functions. It may also be desirable to allow the meter to beplaced in a “shelf mode” after final testing at the factory such thateven with batteries inserted, nothing is shown on the display and theprocessor is in an energy saving sleep mode until one of the buttons ispressed or a test strip is inserted in the meter to resume normaloperation.

In the manner described above, in accordance with the variousembodiments of the present invention, the glucose meter device 103 isconfigured such that it is simple, intuitive and easy to use, permittingthe user to perform the tests relatively discreetly, and is also easilyused by third parties such as the user's physician, nurse, care giver orfamily member. Moreover, given the compact physical configuration, theglucose meter device 103 is substantially small, compact, sleek andreadily portable by the user.

Various other modifications and alterations in the structure and methodof operation of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.Although the invention has been described in connection with specificpreferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention asclaimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. It isintended that the following claims define the scope of the presentinvention and that structures and methods within the scope of theseclaims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a compact housing including a blood glucosemeter interface and a strip port coupled to the blood glucose meterinterface, the strip port coupled to the housing and configured toreceive a glucose test strip; a display unit coupled to the housing, thedisplay unit configured to display information related to a bloodglucose measurement based on a sample from the glucose test strip; aninput unit disposed on the housing, the input unit configured to provideone or more input functions; a processing unit configured to control theinformation displayed on the display unit in response to at least one ofthe one or more input functions; a power source provided within thehousing for providing power to the display unit and the processing unit;and a data port coupled to the housing for data transfer to an externaldevice under the control of the processing unit; wherein the housingincludes a light source to illuminate one or more of the display unit orthe strip port.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data portincludes a universal serial bus (USB) port.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the display unit includes one of a liquid crystal display (LCD),a touch sensitive screen, or a plasma display unit.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the light source is configured to provide one or moreof a backlight function or a flashlight function.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the light source includes a light emitting diode (LED).6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured toilluminate a blood sample acquisition site.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6,wherein the blood sample acquisition site is located substantially onthe surface of a patient's skin.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, whereinthe surface of the patient's skin is positioned substantially at apredetermined angle from the direction of illumination from the lightsource.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the predetermined angle isless than 90 degrees.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the bloodsample acquisition site is illuminated only during a sample acquisitionprocess.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit isconfigured to illuminate upon detection of the glucose test stripinsertion into the strip port.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, whereinthe display unit is configured to remain illuminated until the glucosetest strip is removed from the strip port.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the input unit includes an on/off switch.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to analyzeone or more analyte related data received from an in vivo analytesensor.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data port isconfigured to operatively couple to the external device under thecontrol of the processing unit.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 whereinthe external device includes one or more of a server terminal, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, or a personal digital assistant (PDA). 17.The apparatus of claim 1 further including an output unit coupled to thehousing and operatively coupled to the processing unit to output anindication associated with one or more functions controlled at least inpart by the processing unit.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1 furtherincluding an audible output unit coupled to the housing.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 18, wherein the audible output unit is operativelycoupled to the processing unit to output one or more audible signals.20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the audible output unit isconfigured to provide an alert associated with a predetermined event ora reminder.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the predeterminedevent or reminder includes a schedule associated with performing bloodglucose measurement.
 22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the audibleoutput unit is configured to output an alarm indication having apredetermined audible characteristic.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22,wherein the predetermined audible characteristic includes one or more ofa timing of output of the alarm indication relative to a backlightfunction provided by the light source, a series of audible tones, or apredetermined schedule for outputting the alarm indication.
 24. Theapparatus of claim 1 further including a memory unit operatively coupledto the processing unit, the memory unit configured to store theinformation related to the glucose measurements.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to operate in a clockmode, a test mode, a configuration mode, review mode or in one or morecombinations thereof.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein theprocessing unit is configured to display time and/or date informationduring the clock mode.
 27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein theprocessing unit is configured to execute one or more routines related toblood glucose measurement during the test mode.
 28. The apparatus ofclaim 25, wherein the processing unit is configured to execute one ormore routines to select a user preference for one or more configurableparameters of the device during the configuration mode.
 29. Theapparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing unit is configured toprovide stored glucose measurements for review during the review mode.30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing unit is configuredto exit one or more of the modes when a predetermined period ofnon-activity/idle time has elapsed.
 31. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the display unit is configured to output data as one or more ofnumber, text, symbol or one or more combinations thereof.
 32. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the data port includes one or more of aninfrared data port, a Wi-Fi data port, or a Bluetooth protocol enableddata port.